Marketing Plan and Value Proposition Stephen Carradini Hustle Phoenix

A marketing plan covers everything from the moment you have the product/service ready to the moment a user/client purchases the product/service.

And I Do Mean Everything Executive Summary Marketing and Sales Strategy Sales Strategy Introduction Pre-existing marketing experience Pricing Strategy Vision and Value Proposition Distribution Strategy Time budget The Problem Promotion Strategy Staffing Market Overview  Messages to New Customers Financial budget Target Market  Chronological schedule Messages to Returning Customers Competition Measurement and assessment The Solution & Objectives Promotion Vehicles

Don’t panic.

Take it one step at a time.

What’s it for? It guides every aspect of your marketing efforts It gives marching orders It convinces potential investors/early stage clients that you know what you’re doing It is there to be referred back to It does the hard work now so that you don’t have to do it later

More detailed marketing plan = product more ready to sell Less detailed marketing plan product less ready to sell

How-to Don’t try to do it all at once Use what you’ve already got Take it one part at a time Talk with people Jot notes Sketch ideas Be aspirational, realistic, and flexible

Part One: Value Proposition

Value Proposition “A value proposition is a clear statement that explains how your product solves customers’ problems or improves their situation (relevancy) delivers specific benefits (quantified value) tells the ideal customer why they should buy from you and not from the competition (unique differentiation)” --Peep Laja, ConversionXL.com

Relevant What problem are you solving or opportunity are you offering? How does your product make potential customers’ lives better? Focus on the customer, not the market or competitors

Quantified Value What, specifically, are you offering? What can the customer expect to happen in the short and long term? Focus on things that can be counted or scarcity of other opportunities to do what you are offering.

Unique Differentiation How is your thing different than competitors’ thing? Quality? Quantity? Variety? Geography? Scarcity? Story? Better Targeting? Financial value?

Value Proposition is Not: A slogan A strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats analysis Long (should only be 3-5 sentences long, one paragraph) A pitch (it is not tailored; this is just a statement)

Example Value Proposition Winning Slowly Podcast gives Christian and non- Christian listeners a Christian perspective on personal, professional, and cultural technology use. This helps people use technology more carefully and lead more rightly ordered lives. We offer 15-20 bi-weekly, half- hour podcast episodes a year on a wide range on contemporary technology issues. It is currently the only active podcast focused on the ethics of technology from a Christian perspective.

Example Value Proposition Relevant: Winning Slowly Podcast gives Christian and non-Christian listeners a Christian perspective on personal, professional, and cultural technology use. Relevant: This helps people use technology more carefully and lead more rightly ordered lives. Quantified Value: We offer 15-20 bi-weekly, half-hour podcast episodes a year on a wide range on contemporary technology issues. Unique Differentiator: It is currently the only active podcast focused solely on the ethics of technology from a Christian perspective.

Let’s go to the worksheets!